Despite living through poverty, famine, an authoritarian regime, and the constant threat of nuclear annihilation, people in the Soviet Union still found ways to have a good time.
We’re all humans, and even serious Russians enjoy things like weekends at the beach and strolls through the park with their comrades.
Here are 20 photos proving that things weren’t all turnips and doom in the USSR.
1
Sunning on the Pier
Sochi in 1970.
2
Medical Students
Relaxing on a ferris wheel. The Soviet Union, 1986.
3
On the Beach
Communist Bulgaria in the 1970s.
4
Stunt Show
The Soviet Evel Knievel in 1970.
5
Feeding Polar Bears
A tank in Soviet Union, 1950.
6
On the Beach
Odesa, Ukraine, in the summer of 1990.
7
Young Punks in Communist Hungary
Budapest in 1982.
8
With a Stroller
Gorky Park, Moscow, USSR, 1986.
9
Russia Director Yuri Ledin
Walking a polar bear through the streets of Norilsk, 1975.
10
On the Beach
The Palanga Resort in Soviet Lithuania, 1964.
11
Fun at the Beach
The USSR in 1975.
12
The Red Square
Moscow, 1975.
13
With a Boom Box in 1986
Lithuania's seaside resort.
14
Feeding a Polar Bear
Russia, late 1970s.
15
Promenade in Sochi
The largest resort city in Russia. 1973.
16
Soviet Soldier
During the Soviet-Afghan war, 1980s.
17
Paddling
The waters of Sochi, 1970.
18
By the Water
The Soviet Union in the 1930s.
19
Honeymoon Photo
Moscow in the 1970s.
20
Happy Child
Moscow in the ‘80s.
